


Willing to Endure

by Anonymous



Category: Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XIII
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon, Angst, Angst and Humor, Drama, F/M, Growing Up, Humor, Older Woman/Younger Man, Romance, Romantic Comedy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-05-03
Updated: 2011-05-03
Packaged: 2017-10-18 22:23:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/193945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She could only see him as a child, one day he would change that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Willing to Endure

**Author's Note:**

> So I've finally decided this is definitely going to be the prologue to a larger series rather than just a ficlet. This follows the canon of the first game, but not xiii-2. Hope and Lightning are about 20 and 26 respectively.

This was a bad idea. He knew from the beginning that this was a bad idea, and now that he couldn't turn back, he really knew this was a bad idea. He blamed Snow, had it not been for the older man's advice, he would not be in this situation right now. He would have pined along in silence, maybe ended up confessing like a normal person. Rather than this sure to be disastrous 'grand gesture' he was now forced to make. It had all started about five-and-a-half years ago. Hope had needed some advice, and Snow seemed the best person to ask. He trusted him implicitly, and he was somewhat close to the problem, without being too close.

Therefore he had resolved to seek Snow's help. The only problem was finding the chance. Now that everything was said and done life was anything but settled, everyone was busy trying to rebuild their cities and families. Hope had attempted to reconnect with his father, but things were strained. He had ended up staying with Sazh and his little boy Dajh while he figured things out.

On the bright side, their group hadn't drifted as far from each other as Hope had feared. Admittedly, Snow could still be difficult to get a hold of at times. It was understandable though, he supposed. After nearly losing her he'd devoted as much of his time as possible to Serah, promising her he'd never let her slip away from him again, and planning the perfect wedding.

In fact, it was at the wedding that Hope finally found the chance to seek out Snow's advice. It was a few hours into the reception, everyone was feeling good, euphoric from the joy in the air and the alcohol they'd consumed. Hope spotted snow wandering off towards the woods, bottle in hand, and decided it was as good a time as any to ask for Snow's advice. He followed and found Snow lying on the grass at the center of a small clearing, staring up at the stars.

"Snow?" The older man's head rolled to the side, he looked up at Hope, looking slightly surprised, but still pleased to see him. "Hope! How are you kid? Come sit down." he patted the ground next to him, before returning his attention to the stars. For a while, neither of them spoke. He found it sort of nice, actually. But eventually, Hope knew he had to speak if he was ever going to get to the point.

"So, how's it feel to finally be a married man?" The smile that spread over Snow's face could probably have blocked out the sun. "You have no idea, Hope. It's like, after all this time, and everything we went through to get here it feels almost surreal. It's the best feeling in the world." Hope could hear the sincerity in the older man's voice, not that he'd ever have doubted his words in the first place, having witnessed first hand just how far Snow would go for Serah.

"So how about you, Hope?" Snow asks, after a moment of silence "Anyone caught your eye? I must've been about your age when I first met Serah. Lightning was ready to tear me a new one when she thought we were getting a little too close for her liking." Snow chuckled. Hope smiled at his words, and braced himself to speak, cheeks already flushing with heat despite not having actually said anything yet.

"A-actually I was kind of hoping to talk to you about that. I need some help." He sat up as he spoke, crossing his legs and smiling sheepishly down at Snow.

Snow laughed, sitting up after him. "Girl troubles huh? Shoot." Hope sighed, looking down at his hands, wringing them together. "Well there's this girl- woman actually. I really like her. Not like a crush, I mean I really, genuinely care about her. And it sucks." Snow just laughed.

"So what's the problem? Tell her how you feel."

Hope's cheeks turned even brighter "I just- she still sees me as a child, I know that. I mean, she'll probably never see me romantically anyway, I can accept that, I just want her to see me as an adult. At least. I could live with that." He glanced up at Snow, and looked immediately back to the ground when he could practically see the gears turning in the man's head.

"Hope, are we talking about who I think we're talking about?" There was a note of teasing in Snow's voice. Hope knew the older man knew exactly who they were talking about. He nodded.

"Huh. I can see how that would be a problem."

"Thanks." Hope deadpanned, dropping his face into his hands with a groan.

"That doesn't mean it's hopeless though." Hope was about to ask what the older man meant, but Snow beat him to it. He dropped his hand onto Hope's shoulder so he looked up to meet his eyes, and gave his shoulder a firm squeeze. "Listen to me Hope, Light knows you already. She knows you're brave, strong, and loyal. She knows you'll make a good man one day, we all do. If you really want to be with her, it's up to you to have the patience it takes to prove her right. If you can do that, you'll be more deserving of her than anyone, and she'll see that."

For a moment Hope wasn't sure what to say. He was both touched by his friend's words and filled with hope. "Do you really think so?" Snow nodded. Hope grinned in response.

"I can do that."


End file.
